Unloading apparatus



D. TERRY UNLOADING APPARATUS Feb.

Filed May 9. 1922 Zwam" 72H73,

5 State of California,

Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

DAVID TEE/RY, O'E SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNA.

UNLOADING APPARATUS.

Application filed May 9,

To all whom. t may concern Be it rknown that I, DAVID TERRY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Sacramento, county of Sacramento, and have invented a new/and useful Unloading Apparatus, of Which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to an unloading apparatus of the conveyer type and has reference 'more particularly to an improved means 'for conveniently unlo-ading freight cars and the like of the bottom dump type. a

The salientfeatures of the invention reside in thesimplicity of construction which enablesthe sametobe operated on a practical basis and capable of quickly and efiiciently transferring the contents of loaded cars from the cars to apoint `vhere it maybe deposited for further handling.

The preferred features ofthe invention are illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, but in considering the same it should be noted that I have selected the arrangement shown only for illustrating purposes as many changes may be made in detail kWithout departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims. 1n sai drawing,-Figure 1 is a View in cross-section of a conventional type of freight car showing the application of the invention and With the conveyer apparatus inside elevation; Figure 2 is a plan view of the conveyer unit; Figure 3 is a cross-section through the conveyer unit on the line 3-3 Figure 1; VFigure lis a view in side elevation and partly in section of a freight car showing` the application of the invention and with the conveyer unit in cross-section; Figure' is a View in front elevation of the discharge and of one of the transverse hoppers and Figure Gis a view in side elevation of one of the transverse hoppers.

teferringfnowto the drawing in detail represents a freight car constructed along conventional lines having the usual bottomy dump construction consisting of the chutes (B) and (C) each of which having a door closure (D) pivotally connected as at (C) adapted to swing to and from closing relation relative to the chutes and actuated by the link structure According to my invention the freight car A) to be unloaded is run over a trestle structure (F) having tracks (G) and adapt- 1922. Serial No. 5593503.

ed'to elevate the car above'the conveyer apparatus tobe presently described.

Positionedunder each of the chutes(l3) and (C) is arranged a transfer hopper (5),k thesame being suspended at its closed rear end from the outside of the car by ylongV hook rods (6) arranged in pairs, one for each hopper, having hooks (7) at their upper ends made-to hook over the sides ofthe car and With loops at their 4 lower ends adapted to receive the hooks (8) on the closed ends of the hoppers. The discharge ends of the hoppers are suspended by providing eyes (9) made to receivethe hooks (10) which in turn are suspended in any suitable manner from the bottom of the car.

Each of the transfer hoppers are made with a sloping bottom so that the material deposited into the same will gravitate to they discharge and Where t-*may be released by sliding door (10) Whichcontrols the effective discharge area of the discharge end of the hopper. The car to be unloaded with the hoppers applied is run over thetrestle structure (F) so that of the hoppers (5) 'which are presented in confronting relationy as best shown in'Figure 1 are presented over the receiving hopper (12) provided in the trestle structure (F) and the outlet for the hopper (12) is lined up with the belt (13) of the conveyer unit. rl'he conveyer ,unit includes a suitable sup-vl porting structure or frame (1st) having several sets of rollers (15) over which the belt (13) travels Withthe rollers positioned to form a trough like receptaclefor the belt. The frame (14E) is pivoted as 4at' (16) upon a pedestal mounting (17) so as to Aleave the frame (14e) adjustable in various yhorizontal angular planes with the adjustment maintained -by the lstandard or standards (18) at the outer end of the frame (1li). changing the vertical plane of the standard' or standards (1S) the horizontal angular plane of the conveyer unit may be regulatedvw as desired. Positioned' atthe outer end of the Aframe (14) `is a \vlieel'(l9) lover which 'the belt traverses. The wheel being fixed in the mounting (20) with the mounting having a longitudinal sliding connection relative to the frame sothat a screw or the like (21) may be used to tighten or loosen the belt (13) by sliding the mountino' (20) upon the frame.

lhe opposite end of the frame (14;) is

the discharge ends ing the belt I as a part of the made with the wheel co-aXially positioned in back of a gear, which will be presently described, and the belt traverses over this wheel at this end of the frame. The belt travels toward the outer end of the frame and returns under the same as shown in dotted lines so that the material released from the car into the receiving hopper (12) may be conveyed away from the ear and deposited upon the ground or in a receptacl-e or wagon positioned at the outer end of the frame (14). As a convenient means of drivpropose to use an engine con veyer unit, the same having a driving pulley (24) on its s-haft with a belt (25) connecting the driving pulley (24) in driving relation with a larger belt pulley (26) mounted upon the shaft (27) and with a small driving gear (28) on the opposite end of the shaft (27) in mesh with the relatively large gear (29) mounted upon the shaft (30) co-aXially of the wheel (3l) for the belt (13) previously mentioned. In order that the engine may continue to run without driving the belt (25), the clutch (32) is arranged on the engine shaft as best shown in Figure 2. The clutch is also arranged so that the driving` belt (25) may be at a stand still and at the same time the power of the engine may be used for driving the winch (33) through the medium of the mesh gears (34).

From the above it will be readily seen that with my equipment the material in the car may be conveyed away in a very simple inanner. It will require no expert skill to operate the apparatus nor are there any delicate parts of machinery connected with the same to become out of order. y Uf course, it is understood that in most standard car equipment such as the car (A) there are two sets of chutes arranged in confronting relation on opposite sides of the center line of the car. I require, or at least prefer, to use one transfer hopper for each 'opening so that when in operation there will be two transfer hoppers in use, one for each of the chutes.

f course, I eanuse four transfer hoppers so as toL unload the car from all four doors, but to accommodate the equipment to this use the trestle structure as well as the receiving hopper must be built to accommodatethe amount of material that would be discharged at one time; in most cases, it would be desirable to discharge one end of the car from a pair of the transfer hoppers, then move they car up to bring the other openings over the receiving hopper (12) and to either transfer the transfer hoppers to the openings thus moved up or to use all four transfer hoppers at one time leaving two of them idle until the ear is moved up to move them over the receiving hopper.

I claim:

1. In combination with a bottom dump car, a chute having an inclined bottom and adapted to lie transversely under the car with one end near the side thereof, a hook rod adapted for hooking to the edge of the car and connected to the end of the chute.

2. In combination with a bottom dump car, aehut@ having a shallow and a deep end and an inclined bottom, two hook rods pivetally connected to the shallow end and adapted to hook to the side of the ear to support the chute adjacent the bottom thereof.

3. In combination with a bottom dump ear, a chute having a shallow and a deep end and an inclined bottom, a gate at the deep end of the chute, two hook rods pivotally connected to the shallow end and adapted to hook to the side of the car to support the chute adjacent the bottom thereof.

4. In combination with a bottom dump car, a chute having a shallow and a deep end and an inclined bottom, a gate at the deep end of the chute, means for holding the deep end adjacent the bottom of the car, two hook rods pivotally connected to the shallow end and adapted to hook to the side of the car to support the chute adjacent the bottom thereof.

5. In combination with a bottom dump car. a chutehavinga shallow and a deep end and an inclined bottom, a gate at the deep end of the chute, suspension links secured to both sides of the chute at its deep end, two hook rods pivotally connected to the shallow end and adapted to hook to the side of the car to support the chute adjacent the bottom thereof.

6. In combination with a bottom dump car having fixed double discharge chutes arranged` longitudinally thereof, a pair of auxiliary chutes positioned under the car and each, respectively, under one of the fixed.

chutes, said auxiliary chutes each having a shallow and a deep end, and detachable means for holding the chutes adjacent the car bottom with their deep ends in confronting relation.

DAV ID TERRY. 

